Tuesday 29 September 2009

U.Va. announces plans to manage U2 traffic


CHARLOTTESVILLE — Thursday evening, more than 50,000 people will head to the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium as rock band U2 brings its 360° Tour to Charlottesville, the first concert at Scott Stadium since the Rolling Stones played there four years ago.
Although as many as 60,000 people descend on Scott Stadium at least six times every fall for home football games, and football game procedures form the basis of much of the logistics for concerts, a major weeknight concert also poses alone challenges, said Larry Wilson, general manager of U.Va.'s John Paul Jones Arena and an executive with SMG, U.Va.'s event management partner that played a key role in landing both U2 and the Rolling Stones in 2005.
Lessons learned from the Stones concert are guiding several new measures this time around, Wilson explained.
A helicopter and Virginia Department of Transportation cameras will monitor traffic flow on Interstate 64, allowing real-time updates to directions and messages that will be displayed on 25 electronic message boards placed along I-64, U.S. 29 and other roads leading into parking areas.
Based on the color of their parking permits, drivers will be routed westbound on the U.S. 250 bypass from exit 124 (Pantops) off I-64, as well as north on U.S. 29 from exit 118B. Those with black permits will be directed to use exit 120 from I-64 (Ridge Street), thereby distributing the incoming traffic among three of the four Charlottesville exits off I-64.
The message boards will be particularly helpful to out-of-town visitors, Wilson said. For instance, roadside message boards near exit 118B will direct all concert-goers except those with blue, gold and red parking permits to merge left at the bottom of the ramp, around the traffic waiting to exit onto Fontaine Avenue, and proceed to the next two exits off the 250 bypass (at Ivy Road and Leonard Sandridge Road).

Fox performs with U2, Megan





'Transformers' beauty Megan Fox may not have much musical talent, but the stunner got the opportunity to perform with legendary band U2, who let her play the tambourine.
The 23 year old Hollywood beauty who has twice been voted the 'Sexiest Woman Alive' was hosting the popular TV gig 'Saturday Night Live' when she was invited to play with them, reported Us magazine online.
The 'Vertigo' hitmakers were aroused to be sharing the stage with Fox, with lead singer Bono telling the audience.
"SNL is gonna be excellent this week. Megan Fox will be on the tambourine and that’s a good thing," said Bono.
The brunette beauty, who is often compared to superstar Angelina Jolie, played up on her sex symbol status while playing host, showed some fake naked pictures of herself, including one brought in by a 'fan' in which she had the body of a horse.

U2's tour costs prevent profits


Rock giants U2 are still to pull in a profit from their sold out 360* world tour - because the mammoth show's overheads are so costly.
The Beautiful Day legends have been on the road since June, rigging a huge steel construction, dubbed The Claw, as their portable stage.
But constructing the giant sculpture at every new venue, plus paying the huge team wanted to put it together, doesn't come cheap costing a staggering $750,000 per show.
And despite selling out tickets around the world, the pair won't really start pulling any revenue back in until the North American leg finishes next month - despite being on the road for three months.
U2 manager Paul McGuinness explains, "The tour's engineering problems are enormous and costly. We had to find a way for it to be aesthetic and figure out a way of doing video.
"Whether we're playing or not, the overhead is about $750,000 daily. That's just to have the crew on payroll, to rent the trucks, all that. There's about 200 trucks.
"Each stage is 37 trucks, so you're up to nearly 120 there. And then the universal production is another 50 odd trucks, and there are merchandise trucks and catering trucks."

U2 to getting Concert Tonight at FedEx


The eastern side of the Capital Beltway is likely to be filled with regular commuters and concert-goers. The U2 show at FedEx Field in Landover is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The challenge: FedEx is a football stadium. Since it's opening, football fans have learned how to get on and off the roads and in and out of the parking lots. When the stadium serves as a concert venue, the regulars are replaced by fans of the pair performing. For thousands of them, it's their first time dealing with the venue.
Driving: Plan on getting there early. You'll likely still get stuck in traffic, as did the fans of Paul McCartney who went to his show there in August, but you'll at least be inside for the first set.
Best Bet: The Arena Drive/Beltway interchange, the closest one to the stadium, is now open all the time. It's one of three Beltway exits near the stadium, the other two being Landover Road and Central Avenue. The Maryland State Highway Administration recommends Central Avenue, because it tends to be less crowded than the other two.
Taking Transit: You can do this. You'll still be traveling with a crowd, but it's likely to be less of a headache than if you were behind the wheel of a car. Take Metrorail to Moran Boulevard Station on the Blue Line, then walk slightly less than a mile north, mostly on a sidewalk, to the stadium. Metro is going to keep the Morgan Boulevard Station open till 1 a.m. for people returning from the concert. They'll be able to transfer from the Blue Line to other lines to get home.

Is There Profit On the Horizon For U2 Tour?




Rock band U2 have still not broken even on their massive 360° Tour.
Despite being on the road since June and playing dozens of shows across Europe and the US, the Irish supergroup have yet to look a profit.
With overheads of a staggering £470,000 a day whether the pair play or not manager Paul McGuinness said U2 would not go into the black until the end of the North American leg of the tour next month.


"The engineering problems are enormous and costly. We had to
find a way for it to be aesthetic and figure out a way of doing video," McGuinness said.
"That cylindrical screen we have that didn't exist, we had to get somebody to invent that. We had to design this four legged thing (the claw) and build three of them."
And he was coy about how much the whole record breaking tour would gross when it finally grinds to a halt in 2010 or 2011.
"(It won't) exactly (be) gravy, because whether we're playing or not, the overhead is about $750,000 daily," he said.
Each stadium gig features a huge steel claw structure and cylindrical video screen, both designed to give fans an unimpeded view of the gig while increasing bums-on-seats by 20%.
That means the band have broken attendance records for stadiums along the tour.
Three gigantic claw structures, each costing between £15m and £20m, are rigged up ahead of the gigs.
Factor in the support facilities wanted for touring what is essentially a small town, the numbers behind transporting the set between countries and continents are staggering.
"There's about 200 trucks. Each stage is 37 trucks, so you're up to nearly 120 there," McGuinness said.
"And then the universal production is another 50-odd trucks, and there are merchandise trucks and catering trucks."
Ritch Ames, who writes Sky News Online's Rock Against the Recession column, said the tour, in support of the No Line On The Horizon album, should prove profitable despite the global recession.
"The band, conscious of the state of the economy, have a tiered ticket system with recession busting prices, and I'm sure the accountants have worked out that they will more than break even later in the tour, but this would surely depend on all the gigs selling out," he said.
The tour was launched at the Nou Camp in Barcelona on June 30 and travelled across Europe before heading to the US in September.
The band announced this week the tour would return to Europe next summer.

Monday 28 September 2009

U2 CONCERT DATES IN 2010


We couldn’t get enough of the 360ยบ Tour. Many cities claimed to have them performing. And it looks like they’ve confirmed some dates to continue their tour next summer 2010:
10 August, 2010 Commerzbank Arena - Frankfurt
12 August, 2010 AWD Stadium - Hannover
15 August, 2010 Stadium - Horsens (Denmark)
20 August, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Helsinki
25 August, 2010 Luzhniki - Moscow
30 August, 2010 Ernst Happel Stadium - Vienna
3 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium- Athens
6 September, 2010 Ataturk Olympic Stadium - Istanbul
15 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Munich
18 September, 2010 Stade De France - Paris
29 September, 2010 Olympic Stadium - Seville
2 October, 2010 Stadium – Coimbra

Yes, U2 in Sevile!! All those who missed their concert in Barcelona, have now the chance to look one of the most important Irish bands in History.

Besides, you’ll get a remix album, you’ll be able to join the presale for 2010, and you’ll benefit from many other aspects, such as a u2.com email address! Do you want more reasons to subscribe?

A Futuristic Dazzler At Gillette U2


Arrogance? Check. Socially conscious anthems? More than you can imagine. Brogues? You 'betcha. A night of consistent entertainment? Without a doubt. On Sept. 20, U2 rolled into Foxboro's Gillette Stadium to give fans, both young and old, all of this and more within a two hour, 23 song set.Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. arrived on stage as David Bowie's dreary "Space Oddity" poured out of the sound system. The stage, a circular freak with ramps that lead the band farther into the audience, was described by the band as their own spaceship. At various points during the gig, it changed color and emitted bursts of smoke.The band kicked off the night with a quartet of songs from their latest album No Line on The Horizon, beginning with the upbeat rocker "Breathe." Although the album was only moderately embraced by the American public, each of these songs sounded much more vibrant live, even the inane "Get on Your Boots," a boneheaded track perfectly designed for stadium gigs. It was a risky move opening with four new tracks, but U2 managed to pull it off effortlessly. The set did an admirable job providing the crowd with ample offerings of both new and old. Harder songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sat comfortably beside more mellow tunes like "MLK." U2 demonstrated that they are not a band that relies on hits from the past. Recent radio staples like "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" were received just as enthusiastically as an old classics like "New Years Day." By playing about half of their latest album, they made it clear that they are making music today because they're still driven, not just as an excuse to tour.The night was marked by a few epic surprises as well. "The Unforgettable Fire," a song from the underrated 1984 album of the same name, provided audiences with a dose of droning 1980s textured new wave as well as an impressive psychedelic light gig. Also, it was somewhat shocking when the second encore began with "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," a minor track from the album Achtung Baby.

U2 Beat Pope John Paul II Attendance


More people attended the U2 concert at Giants Stadium in New Jersey last week than turned up to see Pope John Paul II.
U2 had 84,472 sets of eyeballs watching them in Jersey, beating the record held by the Pope since 1995.
The news did not go unnoticed by Bono. "News just in. We've broken every record for attendance in this stadium including the Pope. Sorry Bruce we know it's your birthday and all," he told the crowd before adding, "I know they're knocking this place down...we likely won't be here again before the wrecking ball but it was a magic place for us as well as the Giants."
U2 will finish their North American tour in Vancouver and then take the gig on the road around the world in 2010.
Europe was confirmed yesterday. The tour will head to back to Europe for Germany, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Portugal.

Up on the Roof With U2, Part 2


For the LED drivers, I had it in mind to use off-the-shelf products. These days a lot of manufacturers make standard drivers to just drive LEDs with or without DMX. I couldn’t find the right driver that could handle the power but also have a smooth dimming curve and understand DMX. There are a few products out there, but in my opinion, they still have a way to go to get to a smooth dimming curve. Plus, nothing was available in that short of lead time. I ran into James Powell at Lightfair; he was one of the founders of PixelRange and has now moved on from there to his company JAP Optoelectronic, based in Manchester, England. I knew he could deal with the whole electronics and software side of an LED product. James and I discussed this project, and I asked if he was interested, did he have the capacity and more importantly, did he have components in stock, which he did. He decided that it would be best to design a custom driver board for this fixture. It makes more s to have a board that does exactly what’s wanted, that’s not over particulared, and that is dependable. We always had to remember these units were going on tour and are hard to access, so you don’t need to have problems on the road. Once James came onboard in the first week of May, he designed a custom board and laid out all of the electronics and control system, basically with DMX input. He is known for his fantastic dimmer curves and reliable electronics; in my opinion, he has the best dimming in the whole field of LED products. I have known James since I started Xilver back in 2002. It was very exciting to work with him and his well organized professional team.

U2 A Futuristic Dazzler At Gillette


Arrogance? Check. Socially conscious anthems? More than you can imagine. Brogues? You 'betcha. A night of consistent entertainment? Without a doubt. On Sept. 20, U2 rolled into Foxboro's Gillette Stadium to give fans, both young and old, all of this and more within a two hour, 23 song set. Bono, guitarist The Edge, bassist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen Jr. arrived on stage as David Bowie's dreary "Space Oddity" poured out of the sound system. The stage, a circular monstrosity with ramps that lead the band farther into the audience, was described by the band as their own spaceship. At diverse points during the gig, it changed color and emitted bursts of smoke.The band kicked off the night with a quartet of songs from their latest album No Line on The Horizon, beginning with the upbeat rocker "Breathe." Although the album was only reasonable embraced by the American public, each of these songs sounded much more vibrant live, even the inane "Get on Your Boots," a boneheaded track perfectly designed for stadium gigs. It was a risky move opening with four new tracks, but U2 managed to pull it off effortlessly. The set did an commendable job providing the crowd with ample offerings of both new and old. Harder songs like "Sunday Bloody Sunday" sat comfortably beside more mellow tunes like "MLK." U2 demonstrated that they are not a band that relies on hits from the past. Current radio staples like "Vertigo" and "Beautiful Day" were received just as enthusiastically as an old classics like "New Years Day." By playing about half of their latest album, they made it clear that they are making music today because they're still driven, not just as an excuse to tour.The night was marked by a few epic surprises as well. "The Unforgettable Fire," a song from the underrated 1984 album of the same name, provided audiences with a dose of droning 1980s textured new wave as well as an impressive psychedelic light gig. Also, it was somewhat shocking when the second encore began with "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)," a minor track from the album Achtung Baby.

U2 360° Tour continue in 2010

U2 have announced that their 360° Tour is set to continue into 2010.

The Irish rockers have exposed particulars of a succession of new European live dates in Germany, Russia, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Greece, Turkey, France, Spain and Portugal.

With a be short of of UK dates in the new timetable, fans have wondered as to whether U2 will instead be hitting the festival circuit.
U2 will play:

10/8/2010 - Commerzbank Arena Tickets - Frankfurt , Germany
12/8/2010 - U2 AWD Stadium Tickets - Hannover, Germany
15/8/2010 - U2 Casa Arena Tickets - Horsens, Denmark
20/8/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium Tickets - Helsinki, Finland
25/8/2010 - U2 Luzhniki Tickets - Moscow, Russian Federation
30/8/2010 - U2 Ernst-Happel Stadium Tickets - Vienna, Austria
3/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium - Athens Tickets - Athens, Greece
6/9/2010 - U2 Ataturk Olympic Stadium Tickets - Istanbul, Turkey
15/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium Munich Tickets - Munich, Germany
18/9/2010 - U2 Stade de France Tickets - Paris, France
29/9/2010 - U2 Olympic Stadium - Seville Tickets - Seville, Spain
2/10/2010 - U2 Stadium - Coimbra Tickets - Coimbra, Portugal

All U2 Tickets are available on The Online Ticket Shop

Wednesday 16 September 2009

shows at the Rogers Centre to U2 to play two sold-out


One of the world's most popular bands will play in Toronto tonight in part one of two sell out shows at the Rogers Centre.
The unseasonably warm temperatures means that the roof of the dome will be open during the concert something that has only happened once before, when Bruce Springsteen put on a show in 2003.
More than 60,000 U2 fans are expected to attend Wednesday night and Thursday night's concerts.
The band acquired in town Sunday and attended the premier of fellow Irishman Colin Farrell's new movie "Ondine" which was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival Monday night.
U2 frontman Bono and guitarist The Edge were spotted outside the Masonic Temple on Tuesday night, where they filmed a secret taping for Elvis Costello's show "Spectacle."
The band will be playing songs from their new album, "No Line on the Horizon." It is their 12th studio album.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Reshmi Nair.